Ref Review: Man City opener incorrect; reckless Rooney
A look at all the controversial decisions during this weekend’s Premier League games with a number of high-profile incidents up for debate.
Refereeing decisions are regularly the source of debate among fans, pundits, players and managers so this season a five-strong TEAMtalk panel will be passing judgement on every red card (or avoidance of one), every penalty and any other major incident every matchday.
We’ll also decide on a weekly basis which side can consider themselves lucky and which was the easiest decision for a match official to make.
David Silva goal v Leicester City
Leroy Sane’s low cross was effortlessly converted by the mercurial David Silva to put the hosts 1-0 up.
However Leicester’s defence were absolutely raging and claimed that Raheem Sterling, who was stood in a marginally-offside position, feathered the ball after swinging at Silva’s goalbound effort.
Replays seem to show Sterling didn’t get a touch however so Bobby Madley, who consulted his assistant, awarded the goal.
Should it really have stood though?
Sterling was offside but also directly impacting on the play whether he touched the ball or not and ‘clearly attempting to play a ball that is close to him when his action impacts on an opponent’ as per the rules of the game. Big call. And the wrong one on this occasion from Mr Madley.
Verdict: Incorrect decision
Manchester City penalty v Leicester City
There are clumsy challenges, really clumsy challenges, and then there is Yohan Benalouane’s challenge on Leroy Sane. It was the very definition of stonewall. The German was absolutely flattened in the area and the Leicester man could have few complaints about seeing yellow either.
Verdict: Correct decision
Leicester City penalty v Manchester City
The only decision to make here was whether Riyad Mahrez was in the box when he was brought down by Gael Clichy. He was, just, and Clichy had no grounds for complaint after being bamboozled by some textbook Mahrez jiggery pokery.
Verdict: Correct decision
Leicester City disallowed penalty v Manchester City
To be fair to Madley he had a decent game at the Etihad after his early howler and what a spot this was.
As Mahrez stepped up he slipped and touched the baller twice before ballooning it into the net. The referee immediately blew for a foul and the rules clearly state if a player touched the ball twice from a penalty it’s s free-kick to the other side.
Absolute scenes ensued and punters who smashed into Man City before kick-off will have breathed a huge collective sigh of relief.
Verdict: Correct decision
Southampton penalty v Middlesbrough
Clear penalty at the Riverside as Shane Long was felled by Brad Guzan in the box. Anthony Taylor had little option but to blow up as frustrated Boro fans, presumably sick to the back teeth of a season of stifling underachievement, actually then began to chant for their own ‘keeper to be dismissed. Only on Teesside.
Verdict: Correct decision
Peter Crouch goal v Arsenal
Big Crouchy will never be mistaken for Diego Maradona but the pair do share one trait. They have both now scored clearly outrageous goals with their hand in a televised match.
There was slightly less at stake for Crouch at St Mary’s than Maradona’s during Mexico 86 but he definitely punched in Marko Arnautovic’s cross from the left to leave Arsenal incensed. Arsenal’s defence went up in unison to shout “handball” and it almost beggars belief how the officials missed it.
Verdict: Incorrect decision
Hull City penalty appeal v Crystal Palace
Hull City were relegated on Sunday but could have been thrown a lifeline in the first half at Selhurst Park had Martin Atkinson awarded a spot-kick for what looked like a deliberate handball by Jason Puncheon in the area.
At that point the score was 2-0 and it might have signalled a massive shift in favour of the Tigers. Atkinson somehow didn’t seem to see it but Puncheon’s hand wad outstretched and in an unnatural position. Poor, poor call.
Verdict: Incorrect decision
Crystal Palace penalty v Hull City
An absolute sure thing of a spot-kick at Selhurst Park as Tigers’ skipper Michael Dawson clumsily dangled his left foot in the box which Jeffrey Schlupp went over. Dawson knew he’d got nowhere near the balk and offered few complaints.
Verdict: Correct decision
Wayne Rooney yellow card v Tottenham
As Sunday’s go, Mr Rooney will have had better. One of the tabloids ran a lead story about alleged heavy casino gambling losses first thing.
He then goes to north London and looks well off the pace against Tottenham. His booking for an ill-advised lunge on Christian Eriksen, right in front of whistler John Moss, was a straightforward call.
Verdict: Correct decision
Team most likely to feel brassed off award
Leicester City
The Foxes will feel they were on the wrong end of the stick regarding two massive calls. Firstly Silva’s goal should have been chalked off and wasn’t and then with time running out of a pulsating clash at the Etihad they had an equaliser chalked off that on another day they might have got away with.
Stonewall decision of the week
Manchester City penalty v Leicester City
Will Bobby Madley have had an easier decision to make this season? It was brainless stuff from Benalouane, who might have been charged with common assault if he’d attempted that type of thing out the back of a Yates’ in Manchester on a Saturday night.